Masked Man
by Dr.equinox
Summary: A Masked Man will tell no tale, for he cannot speak. So, instead he goes out into the world, not to tell his story, but to show it. Now a man in a mask is discovered in world of Remnant, ready and able to show all his tale. How he goes about it may seem questionable, but one must understand that words are easy to use. Actions, while difficult, provide much more interesting results.
1. Chapter 1

**Another one bound to bite the dust. This is NOT a self-insert, otherwise I would have made myself much more ... wonderful. Let's hope we all have a good time and enjoy the reading. Thank you.**

I awoke to several confusing and startling discoveries in this order. One, I felt well rested, something I usually lack when sleeping on my old-ass bed. Two, it was _very_ bright in my house, almost like the sun itself manifested a smaller form just to torment me. Three, I realized I was not in my room. And the final and most shocking revelation, one that would change my whole life, was this...

I was on grass.

This was not normal. Especially when it felt nice. My border grass felt rough and dry. This grass felt smooth and wet. Not good. This meant I was not anywhere near my home, as grass this nice was miles away. The startling discovery fueling me, I opened my eyes and sat up... only to immediately close them again. Damm, it was bright! Way too bright!

After letting my eyes get adjusted to the horrendous amount of light battering against my retinas, I got to standing up and looking around. What I found amazed me.

Trees _. Everywhere_.

Now this was a surprise. We didn't have a forest like this since they officially declared the one near the edge of town off limits, since it was to be used for lumber. But this forest, it far outshined the one back home. It was gorgeous! The barks were a healthy brown, the leaves an astonishing green, hell, even the ground felt firm beneath me! I could hardly believe it!

That thought brought me back to reality.

I... _couldn't_ believe it. This was not real. It couldn't be. It was too good to be true. What's more, I was in the middle of nowhere. Even as I gazed across the landscape, finding myself to be at the mere entrance of the forest, I could not identify any landmarks. Just trees. I reached up to rub my temple, trying my best to think of what kinda crazy man kidnaps a guy and leaves him near a forest, when I felt something touch where my hand should have been.

I whirled around immediately, only to find no one there. I gripped my fist tightly. If they thought I was gonna go down easy, oh ho ho, did they have another thing coming! I got into a ready stance, scanning my surroundings only to slowly stop. I looked down at my hand. That... was not supposed to be there.

What covered my hand was blacker than the night sky, and felt tougher than stone. upon the back of palm and fingers were many bone-like pieces, arranged similarly to a sports glove, protecting the top of my hand. As I followed the appendage, I found the rest of my body to be covered in a similar fashion, only stopping at the base of my neck. I gave my hand a squeeze, hearing a squelch as finger tips met palm. This was... this...

"The fuck am I _wearing_?"

 **SCREEE**

"Holy crap!" I yell as I sprint for the nearest tree, watching an unbelievably large shadow cross along the ground. What was that? Why as it so big? Why did it sound like a bird? All these questions and more rocketed through my mind as I clutched the tree I hid behind hard. The bark that came off as I gripped brought me a momentary solace from the fright I experienced, only for it to come back full force as the beast passed by again.

 **SCREEE**

Dammit! That was definitely closer this time! Whatever this thing was, it was way too close for comfort. The thought 'Why don't you just run into the forest?' briefly entered my mind, and I gave it some thought, I really did, but ultimately concluded. If this thing was outside the forest, who was to say what was inside? Whether this was a smart move or my last thoughts mattered little now, seeing as the source of my undoubtable demise had landed right in front of me.

And it was staring right at me.

'Oooooooooohhhh boy. This is not good. Not at all.'

This thing was something straight from nightmares. It was as black as my new suit, with more bone-like structures similar to mine, only it covered the area around the eyes exclusively, whereas mine spanned my body. Besides that, it just seemed like a normal bird, although its form seemed altered in a way as so it could walk with its wing-legs. Oh yeah, and it was also LIKE THREE FUCKING STORIES HIGH! Like, Holy Crap, this things fucking foot could crush me, not to mention its head! It would certainly have no problem eating me. Which brought up another point.

It just stood there. Staring at me.

Jesus, this was easily the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. Though, I'm not gonna lie, it was beautiful. I mean, I normally don't go all crazy for birds, but there was something about this one that just made stop and just look back. In its red eyes, I saw no emotion, but through its statuesque form, I could assume it didn't want to me immediately. So, being the brave fool I am, I stepped out from my protection tree, and approached the bird carefully.

"Uhhh... hi. Hello. It's uh, nice to meet you!" My attempt at communication seemed to fail, but inside I knew I was getting somewhere. I could feel it. As I continued my approach, it tilted its head down and continued to stare at me, through its unforgiving red eyes. This did not deter me however, and I walked until I was within arm's reach of the ginormous beast of prey. I reached out cautiously, still not sure what to think about being next to this monster of a bird, and attentively rubbed the nose of it. What I got in response, was the bird gently pushing against my arm, shuffling around and bringing itself closer to the ground.

"Huh... looks like I was wrong to judge you. I'm sorry giant bird." I apologized, receiving a snort in response. Don't really know what that means, but alright.

I continued to pet the bird until it nudged my hand upwards. Not gonna lie, I was kind of confused. Did I do something wrong, or was It just tired of my antics and was ready to eat me? Turns out it was neither. Instead, it lowered its head to the ground and looked at me expectantly. Did... did it expect me to ride it? That seemed a little, extreme. I mean, look at those wings! They had to go hundreds of miles fast! There was no way I could hold on. The bird on the other hand was getting tired of my indecisiveness and instead used its head to scoop me up onto its neck, where I held on for dear life. This was gonna go somewhere, though where I did not know.

'I just hope she doesn't knock me off.'

As soon as I thought this, the bird gave a mighty flap of its wings and sent us soaring into the air.

Holy crap, was this the most exhilarating thing in the world. We flew straight up into the sky, and I could hardly handle myself I was so jittery. This was insane! I was flying! In the Air!

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled as we leveled out in the sky. We were near the clouds and with my new vantage point I could see everything. Now there wasn't just trees for miles, but also mountains in the distance. In fact, I think I saw something very far away, a mere speck amongst the land. it was weird though, because as I looked over the land I couldn't help but feel like I'm forgetting something. Like, I know something about this place, but I can't place it.

 **SQUAW**

Ah, never mind. As I shook away those stray thoughts, I looked down to find the large eyes of the bird staring at me intensely. Always nice to turn and see that. As I stared back a thought suddenly returned to me.

"So, hey, I don't mean to be rude but are you a chick?"

 **SQUAW**

"No, I mean like a girl. Are you a girl?"

 **SQUAW**

"I'm taking that as a yes, I hope your aware."

All she did was turn away from me. At least that thought I had a while ago made sense now, though I do kind of wonder why I assumed that. Maybe it was because of how nice she was towards me? Nah, it's probably because she didn't kill me immediately. Yeah, that's right. Cool. Nice to know that's what qualifies as friends around here.

We continued at a leisurely pace, gliding through the air. It felt nice, relaxing, even therapeutic in a way. It really helped my flow stay on track. As I looked at the ground again, a flash of white in the countless black feathers caught my attention. I carefully climbed until I behind the object. Said object was a ...skull? I mean, it looked like one, but nothing I've seen. It was shaped in a way to where the nose was elongated and stretched, and the eye sockets were larger than I would have thought, though they were still kinda small. A rope ran through one of the sockets, keeping it secured to the beasty I was riding on. I was curious now, so throwing caution to the wind, I started to look for the know, which was conveniently inside the skull, which was covered in the same black substance that covered my body.

As I lifted it up to get a good look at it, I noticed something. This skull was shaped more like a mask than a skull, though that did nothing to take away the creepy factor. Especially in the eyes. They were shaped like normal eye sockets, but inside was nothing but pitch black. That might have been because I was holding the back with my hands, but still, if I wore this, that was what people would see. I wondered... do I have a hood? Ah, I do! Perfect. Now I can put this on and match without looking stupid. As I lifted the mask to my face, I stopped inches away. What was I doing? I literally just found this thing, there could be some serious germs on it, or it could be a death trap! Why had I thought it was a good idea to put this on?

Before I could return my hand to my side, my ever-graceful ride suddenly jerked forward and did a sharp dive, forcing the mask onto my face. When I slid into place, I let a short gasp before being rendered silent by a cry of the beast I had ridden on. Portions of the bird began to shoot off in streams and into the center of my back, eventually dissolving the bird into nothing. The fact that I was now falling didn't seem to concern me now. Instead of panicking or hyperventilating, I was calm as ever and even straightened myself to go faster. I kept on like that, only now noticing how far up I was. Indeed, I was probably higher than the clouds because I had not noticed a decimated town which I was currently shooting towards. Hmm.

I calmly raised my arms, the under of which now had dozens upon dozens of feathers, and slowed my descent until I gently glided down, landing near a building. I stood still for a moment, wondering just what happened back there. There was certainly a transformation, but how it happened was beyond me. I now had new feelings though, along with heightened senses. I could tell by listening in that there were others here. Other people. Something strange though, was the fact that I did not immediately go to them. Instead, I had doubts. Something told me not to go, to stay away from them. I was conflicted. This... this wasn't normal.

This wasn't me.

This was someone entirely new. A name came to mind, but I immediately knew it wasn't mine. Nevermore. That is what she was called, one of countless others, one that just happened to stumble onto me. Now she was a part of me. We were something different, something new, but whether it was for good or bad I could not tell. Perhaps this was merely a new experience, not meant to appeal to emotions. I felt in control, but was I really? If she had not wanted me to go, to reach salvation with other humans, then could she physically stop me? Right now, it was a feeling, but I knew that if I continued it would change in intensity. So, deciding to test to what extent I had over this body, I walked to the sounds, stopping in the middle of a random street.

I could hear their voices clearly now, even with the distance between us. That wasn't what concerned me though. What I was preoccupied with, was the fact that I now stood in the middle of a street, staring directly at a creature. A Grimm. That name, along with another, Beowulf, popped into my head. This creature fit the description, looking like a wolf with large arms, no doubt able to walk on all fours. As it looked to me, I could feel myself freeze against MY will. As I forced my head to the side, causing jerky and unnatural actions, I finally faced my saviors.

They were four teenage girls. Complete with an old man watching over them.

I wondered, would they be my rescue? Or would I be mistaken to be like the animal beside me? Before I could attempt to try and talk, I suddenly felt all control over my body cease, as I sprinted literally UP a building, flipping over the top and disappearing from their sight.

Just what the hell have I gotten myself into?

 **Hope you all enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another one. Forgot to mention something in the last chapter, I do not own RWBY, its characters, or storyline. I'm am merely creating a 'parody' of sorts with some characters of my own design. Besides that, here you go. Another one.**

* * *

For the rest of the evening I sat atop multiple buildings, watching the group. I'm certain they saw me watching more times than not. Even now, as the moon rises in the night sky, I could tell they knew I was near, though no direct eye contact had been made. I don't know why I couldn't get closer, or why Nevermore, as I've grown accustomed to naming her in the hours in the hours I've known her, really didn't want me anywhere near them. Perhaps they were more dangerous than they seemed? I mean, I did see them fight off packs of Beowulf's with ease but I think together we would be pretty powerful. Certainly much stronger than a simple overgrown _dog_.

Also, lets back up a bit shall we? All the way back to the 'moving against my own accord' thing. So apparently, Nevermore could just up and decide that I wasn't doing a good enough job and take control of my body. I've been thinking about that for a while now. Could I do the same to her when she was in control? I mean, before she was a titanic beast, capable of taking down a plane, but now she was just a conscious. Did me... absorbing her transfer all of her body into her will over me, or was it just a fluke? I've been keeping my distance since then, this new eye sight I have did wonder for that since I could see anything clear as day (even stuff miles away), but I wonder if its worth it to test her. She obviously wouldn't like it, but this was MY body, and no matter how sweet she was, there was no way I'd let her keep it. I gave a sigh as I laid down, the stress of today getting to me.

 _'Man, why couldn't today be easy? First I wake up in a forest, or at least near one, then I get picked up by a giant bird, and now I can't keep control over a body we now share, somehow. To make matters WORSE, I can't recall a dam thing since this morning! What the hell is going ON?!'_

 ** _~Whistle~_**

Immediately I take a look at my surroundings, listening for even the faintest sound as I wonder just what the hell made that sound. The sounds it made were like a melody to my ears, and had I not been alerted by the sound, I would have gladly listened to it for hours on end. The weird thing about it though, was that I could have sworn I heard some words as well, muffled as they may have been.

 _ **~Whistle~**_

There it is again! Though more words this time, I cant make sense of it.

 _'Who the hell is that?'_

 ** _~WHISTLE~_**

Woah!

 _'Okay whoever you are, I don't know how you can talk to me telepathically but I'm warning ya, this aint the safest place up here!_

 ** _~Whistle~_**

 _'Wait... is that you Nevermore?'_

 _ **~Whistle~**_

 _'Wa- but how?! I mean, I know we have a combined body now, but I didn't think you understood me! This is nuts! Crazy even!'_

 _ **~Whistle~**_

 _'Wh-... well, I mean I guess that makes sense. I mean, I don't how old you really are. No offense.'_

 _ **~Whistle~**_

 _'Okay, so since you can talk now, I'd like to bring a few things up.'_

 ** _~...~_**

 _'Hello?... Nevermore? You there?'_

 ** _~...~_**

Well that's great. I'm stuck wandering around this place for who knows how long, and my sole companion leaves me. Nice. Well, I'd say this day couldn't get any better, but knowing my luck I'd probably die or something, so I'm gonna stick to being silent. Now all that's left is to listen in I suppose. It's the only thing I can do without getting their attention, or Nevermores.

"... so many years of hate?" A voice, strained by the sound of it.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Your not one to back down from a challenge Blake." Another voice, this one lighter, comforting.

"But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my semblance!... I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away."

Well _fucking Christ, man_. I just found a whole LOAD of emotional baggage didn't I? It brings up some new, and yet again familiar, points though. Like this 'semblance' thing. What is that? Like an ability, or a picture or something? Also, the hells a Faunus? Sounds like fauna, so I'm guessing plants, but I'm probably totally wrong there.

"... at least you two have something driving you."

Oh golly, here we go again.

"I've just kind of always, go with the flow ya know?" Indeed I do. If only you knew.

"And that's fine, I-I mean that's who I am, but how long can I really do that for?" She bring a valid point.

"I want to be a Huntress... not really because I want to be a hero though, but because I want the adventure."

"I want a life where I don't know what tomorrow will bring, and that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that." Hmm.

"I'm not like Ruby." Wait, who?

"She's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said; Ever since she was a kid she dreamt about being the hero's in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained _so_ hard to get where she is today." That got me thinking.

Do I know what I want to be doing? Even in this brand new fantastical place, where there's monsters and teenage girls with _obscenely_ powerful weapons, is there somewhere for me? Can I fit into an already seemingly solid mold? And if not, what will I do then? Give up, or break open the mold for my own desires? What am I to do if I can't even approach four young girls and an old man and tell them I've absorbed a giant demon bird? I scoffed at that last one. Yeah, make them think your crazy why don't ya?

I sat up there for the rest of the night, hours on end, until I decided that I had had enough waiting around and glided off the edge. I made sure to make my descent as discreet as possible, as to avoid any suspicion from the girls I was currently stalking... Wow, that sounds a lot worse when I say it to myself. Geez, I have problems. After accepting my internal struggles to be immortal, I began to walk until a 'pitter-patter' sounded off. I paced to a large pile of rubble, easily able to conceal me, and peeked my head over the edge, which unfortunately forced me to raise my head even higher as there was some stray rebar in the way. So what do I get for nearly forgoing my cover and making myself known to the world?

A pissing dog. Well, that at least explains the tiny footsteps.

But as I thought that, more small footsteps echoed in my ears as something small, red, and god dam _adorable_ entered my vision. It was one of the girls, easily the youngest, looking around worriedly for,- what I assumed, was her dog. When she found him, after his business as done, she gave the dog a stern talking to and picked him up. Right as she did so though, she became still, with the furry lump of energy in her arms, and her eyes widened. It took me a moment to realize she was staring at me. Seeing as my cover was blown anyway, I decided to reveal myself and stood up, never giving up our staring contest. There was something in those eyes of hers. She was cautious, as all should be of strangers, but along with others was something I had not expected to receive.

Fear.

It may have been small compared to the others, but it was evident in her eyes as she stood still. Honestly, I wondered if I really _was_ that frightening. I hadn't gotten a good look at myself lately and I wondered just what I appeared to be. Before I could think if I saw any mirrors nearby, more unknown voices entered the fray, causing the red girl (Ruby perhaps?) to back up and look towards the assailants, as well as I. There stood two men, dressed in what seemed like a gang outfit, a red claw slash on the back of a white shirt. I wonder whom that might be...

The girl, whom I now officially dub as 'Ruby', finally tearing her gaze away from me, moved to follow the masked men. I opted to wait, now more eager to find out what I looked like rather than help her track down prey. As I gave myself a once over, I noticed a few separate things. One, was that since the last time I took a minute to check myself out, my color scheme had changed. When I gently rubbed my hand over my torso, I could still feel the previously white bone armor there, only it seemed to be buried under what was now my second skin. Two, I now had a fully fledged cloak. It even had enough of a cape to go around my shoulders and cover my front if I stood still. Three, was that I was definitely taller. Like, two whole feet taller. Since I had yet to go into any buildings, I guess I didn't notice the height difference.

Nevermore was the best thing to ever happen to me.

...huh, that kind of came outa left field. Besides the appearance, I felt _bigger._ Like, besides height. I meant like girth and stuff. Essentially, I felt much, much, _**much**_ stronger. Pair that with the flying thing, which I think may just dissolve into my cape, I was a superhero! Or a villain, I don't really know at this point. Either way, this was exhilarating,new, and was in dire need of a test run.

* **CRACK***

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. I would I gained a grin just then, but with the mask on I couldn't really feel my face, so I'm just gonna say I got excited. So excited I ran UP a building, _again,_ and flipped into the air, spreading my arm/cape/wings in the air and flew towards the sound.

When I found the source, a large sinkhole in the middle of the road, I noticed the dog running away from the sight with a red device in its mouth. That dog was clearly affiliated with the team, so I had to deal with this quickly, unfortunately. I gazed into the whole, listening for any common, when I heard a struggle inside. After waiting a moment, I jumped into the whole, flapping my wings once at the ground to soften my landing. When I had landed, I found myself to be inside a ginormous underground block of land.

Across the floor on the, well, floor, was a station, brimming with attentive workers. Most were moving crates , some supervised, and even less operated giant mechs, grabbing and hauling containers. The majority of the work went towards a train, being filled with ...things. I don't really know what's in those box, but I would care less. Right now my main concern was controlling myself. You see, for some reason, when I laid my eyes on the countless goons of the white shirt parade, I had an indescribable urge of bloodlust. I wanted them all _dead and gone_. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I don't know why but honestly, finding these guys got my blood pumping.

In the back of my head there was a tiny voice, pleading me, begging me not to do anything like that. To leave it how it is and run off somewhere else. I watched as Ruby was dragged towards a train car, where a ginger guy in mostly white with an awesome hat and a cane popped out, and proceeded to taunt her. I could tell he'd be fun to tangle with. The others though, those worthless buffoons, they'd be easy work. Just a pass and slash. So when I jumped from building to building, finally getting a good vantage point, and when I was just about ready to pounce on these men from more than a hundred feet above them, that tiny voice suddenly got a whole lot louder. I almost didn't do it. If it wasn't for the multiple large-

 ***BOOM***

 ***BOOMBOOM***

-s, I would have stopped. But as soon as I heard those explosions go off, I knew deep down that right now was the moment to pounce. So I did. I jumped off that twenty or so story building, aimed myself, and shot down like a comet. It was so exhilarating, I didn't hear a very faint whisper in my ear.

 _'...wait...what am I doing?'_

 **I was close.**

Ruby managed to pull a fast one on the ginger and got away.

 **Getting closer.**

The ginger and another man left for the train, the other soldiers follow suit.

 **I am right there.**

 **I let out a shrill scream, getting the attention of the last man unfortunate enough to board the train.**

 _ **SQUAW**_

 _ **AND RIGHT AS I GET THE DROP ON HIM, AS I PEIRCE MY CLAWED HAND THROUGH HIS BODY, A SINGLE SOLITRY THOUGHT RUNS THROUGH MY MIND.**_

 _'This... this isn't me. This is you isn't it...'_

 _' **Nevermore**?'_

* * *

 _Hope you all liked it, and I seriously hope it doesn't seem like an angsty teenager who gets off on edgy shit wrote it, because that's seriously not what I strive to write like but I can see a resemblance. Please give me any feedback you deem necessary, though try to stay constructive and not be a douchebag okay? Thank you._


	3. Chapter 3

**Back again. So, this guys have some serious issue with his new housemate, or body-mate I guess. Wonder what's gonna happen now that that old crow Nevermore is in charge. Let's find out shall we?**

 **P.S I was just rewatching the first season and totally realized something. The book Blake was reading was about _a guy with two souls fighting for control over his body!_ Like, holy crap, didn't even notice that until now!**

* * *

 _'This is not good.'_

She's got control. Over. My body. That is honestly one of the most terrifying things that could have happened to me, ever. Now I have to watch as she rips her whole arm out of this guys chest cavity.

 ***SQUELCH***

Ohp, and there it is. God fucking dam, that was disgusting. Oh yeah, and not to mention, _horrifying_. A man just died before my very eyes, and by my hand at that. I... I honestly don't know what to do right now. I think I'm in shock.

 _'Why... why did you do that?'_

 _ **~Whistle~**_

 _'Well you didn't have to fucking kill him! There was no need for that!'_

 _ **~Whistle~**_

 _'I don't care! You need to **chill out**!'_

And like that, I was in control again. Though, for some reason I was on top of the train now. As I was marveling at my new found control, which was _overwhelmingly_ satisfying, I took in my surroundings. The locomotive had started so the train car I was on began to move slowly, and quickly catching up to said train was the same group of people I had been avoiding a confrontation with. Now that I had control, I could try to tell them. Tell them why I just killed somebody in front of them. For some reason though, as I looked at their advancing forms staring at me, I felt something I should have expected.

Fear.

I was experiencing fear for the first time in a while. True fear. What if they didn't understand? What if I was just another monster to destroy? What would they do then? All these questions, these doubts, began to cloud my judgement. I could have gone to them, helped them take down these guys as a temporary alliance. Hell, even talking to them would be enough for me. But I didn't do that. What I did proved to be a defining point in my life here. As I looked at them, their concentrated faces ready for a showdown, I turned around...

and ran.

I ran across that train. I couldn't fight these guys, I _refused_ to. Anyone else might have been fine, but there was a feeling, deep in the bowels of my gut, that told me to make a better impression. By that, I meant 'try to talk to them when you don't have blood on your hands, looking like another monster the world made'. That wasn't why I ran though. Not the _real_ reason. I don't know why the real reason was either. I just couldn't fight them. Not now. So I didn't. I ran. I have other things to do.

 ** _'Like getting rid of these guys.'_**

As I ran across the train, thoughts, emotions, the whole Damm shebang zoomed through my head. They usually ended in conflicting feelings. Like, for instance, the thing I just realized.

 _'I know what your doing Nevermore.'_

Up ahead, White shirt boys began to appear.

 _'Your influencing me. Putting thoughts in my head.'_

I could feel my right forearm changing, forging itself into a new shape. A massive blade, nearly as tall as I am, extending my arm a good foot forward with the rest making an arc over my shoulder.

 _'I'm going to kill these men. I know I can't stop myself if I tried.'_

I was close now. Meters away from one of the victims.

 _'The urge is too strong.'_

The ones in the back attempt shooting me, to no avail. My hidden armor is more than sufficient.

 _'I tried talking tough. Telling you that I'm in control now, but I know that's a lie. What's in control now is something else, something new.'_

The first man to approach me gets speared through the stomach and thrown over the side.

 _'It's got a mind of its own. This isn't you or me any more. I don't know what it truly is, but I know what it's not.'_

The second, slashed vertically in half.

 _'In our control. If I tried, then maybe it would stop, but why would I do that?'_

The third, severed head.

 _'I mean, after all, I am a murderer now. If I revealed myself, what would that accomplish? Me dying? That's not something I have planned.'_

Finally, the others seem to get the message and run away. It won't do them any good in the long run.

 _'They're trying to leave. **How cute.** '_

As I stride forward, a loud boom echo's through the tunnel. Looking back, I find the train to be a car short. Hmm. Bombs then?

 _'They were using bombs for some reason. Why?'_

Then, they appeared. Clambering down from a hole in the ceiling, were dozen of Grimm. All different type, ranging from Beowolves to some giant snake thing. King Taijitu. Okay, nice to learn. Something else I noticed, was that Ruby and the others were _far_ closer than I expected. I foresaw an unfortunate battle in the near future. I quickly turned around and continued running, hopping across a row of mechs that were fortunately inactive at the time, easily coming to a stop on the other side a few cars away.

 _'Well, that solves that. Now what to do about this train nonsense? Also, where are we going?'_

I squinted my eyes, focusing on the however far I could see, before reeling my head back in shock.

 _'That... is a dead end. Hmm'_

This train was undoubtedly going to explode. Just a manner of how its done is left. Well, that's not necessarily true, I mean, its literally packed with bombs so triggering them won't make much difference from them exploding by themselves. Suppose there really is nothing left to do but wait... except... the Ruby team is still fighting people. Or they were?

 _'Where the hell did they all go?'_

Now it's just the lone male of the group and Ruby, along the dog for some reason, fighting off the mechs I passed by earlier. They were handling themselves very efficiently, hell, I knew they didn't need my help. Plus, that guy looked like he meant business, with the throwing fireballs and such, a strange ability that fazed me much less than it should have. Still..

 _'Ah hell, everyone loves a bit of infamy now and then. Why not make myself known right?'_

So, seeing as this was probably the last one, I ran faster than I could hope for and took a huge leap across the gap where the mechs were previously stored in, landing on this mechs back, catching the attention of all present. Not wasting any time, I climbed the suit until I was just above the cockpit (I was assuming here), and stabbed my arm straight through with ease, ceasing the robots movements and causing it to tilt over the edge, where I jumped off and landed on the train, in front of the two.

Now was the moment. We stood there, surprise fresh on their faces as I stood emotionless before them. A moment of silence enraptured us, until the man looked back and noticed a still functioning mech coming at them. He told Ruby something I didn't care to listen in for. I looked back towards the locomotive, noticing we had mere moments until it crashed. When I turned back, I was greeted with the whole team, staring at me. I wondered, did they see it? The inevitable end? Whether or not they saw it, I pointed to the front. Then, when I was sure they caught on, I jumped up and onto one of the rafters on the ceiling, watching the girl in white create a shield of ice around them as they were carried away by the train. What I was certain of now, was that I had a story. I had someone's attention, and how that will turn out in the end, will be decided by my actions today.

* * *

I crashed through the hole made by the explosion, flying into the air until I landed on an adjacent building. As I took in my surroundings, I noticed the team had been surrounded by creatures of Grimm. Intriguing. What I also saw was that they now saw me, and although this was good news to me, I wondered how Red would react. Would she think of me as an ally, and expect me to help her? Or was I another Grimm, just to add to their bad day? The anticipation was making me anxious.

At the screech of the Taijitu they were off, like hardened soldiers ready to kill. One after another fell to them, each person have a unique fighting style. The blond one was very personal, preferring close quarters with her gauntlets that shot out blast similar to shotguns powerful enough to send herself flying. The black haired one, while with a blade, used a pistol built into her saber to keep the beast at bay, keeping a medium range clear. The girl in white, showcasing a saber, used some form of ice magic(?) to damage her enemies. Finally, we have little red Ruby, wielding a scythe and cutting through her enemies with ease while shooting a sniper round out of her weapon to propel herself forward. All in all, a very interesting group.

Suddenly, a faint boom could be heard, along with a yell. I found the source to be yet another teenager, flying through the air on a hammer, eventually smashing it into the head of the King Taijitu and landing on the ground, where she assembled with her team. It consisted of her, a rather sporadic teenage girl with obvious energy, a young lady with armor akin to Spartans, a young man wearing a slim green uniform who was probably the most passive emotionally, and finally a surprisingly normal sight; a young man clad in pieces of armor, with normal clothes underneath. Wielding a giant hammer, a sword/shield combo, two mini scythes, and another sword/shield combo, I wondered what kind of performance I was in for.

They did not disappoint. All around the battlefield they proved their worth, slashing at the monsters and shooting them to pieces. Overall, pretty nice work. Yet again though, more people joined the fray, however late they were. Do they ever stop coming? What was brought along with them actually caught my attention. A gigantic airship, along with numerous smaller ones, appeared in the air, the smaller ones dropping in dozens upon dozens of soldiers. Upon close inspection though, they were revealed to be robots.

 _'This day is getting weirder and weirder.'_

Literally right as I thought that, two more groups showed up. One dropped in by air, the other walking around the corner. Geez, do these kids ever stop? There must be like, twenty of them by now! Even more, if my luck has a go at making children. What became apparent very quickly though, was that if I caught the attention of at least one team right now, I would probably die. So, I actually just sat down at the edge and watched the carnage. Boy, was it impressive.

 _'Definitely don't want to be near that minigun. Ever. Thing would destroy me. Along with every other weapon, actually. Hmm. Perhaps I'm a bit out of my league here.'_

Just to accentuate that, as the battle began to draw near, more people showed up. These guys though, were not teenagers, but adults! Powerful ones too. Besides the one I knew, who stood next to another stranger, the only other one who I was majorly concerned by was this new woman. She used something, magic probably, to blast away her foes, and as I sit at this very moment, she reverts the entire breaking point in the ground where I came out of, to its normal flat state.

 _'That seems like my signal to get out of here.'_

Before I could leave though, a familiar set of eyes stopped me. Ruby. She was staring at me with those silver eyes I hadn't noticed before. In those eyes I saw confusion. Just what was I doing here, following them around and watching their fights? Would I prove to be an ally, or am I simply preparing myself? That question remains to be answered. All because I honestly didn't know. I couldn't get much into that right now though, because if she's seen me, then others will follow. So I stood up, turned around and ran again, this time over rooftops and such, until I finally settled on an alleyway, where I dropped down and sat against a dumpster, hiding away. I held my hand on my head, looking down to my waist.

 _'What am I doing? Why do I constantly just sit and watch? What happened to the me back on the train?'_

I would have sighed, but it was blocked by...

The Mask.

My head shot up at the realization. If I got the mask off, I'd be okay again right? Then I could blend in with the people again. Yeah. So, I reached up and gripped the mask with both hands, ready to remove it, when I stopped.

 _'But... what am I without it? Just some normal guy?'_

I lowered my hands, laying them on the ground.

 _'With the mask, I could do anything I want. Without it, I'm stuck being normal. What can I do being_ normal? _'_

That feeling stayed with me for a bit. What _would_ I do? Just walk around and act like I'm new here? Would that work?

 _'No, it wouldn't. You don't want to be that way.'_

Wait... hold on, that's not... that not true.

 _'You really don't want that life. Being normal means being useless. You aren't strong, you can't fly, you can't do_ **anything.** _'_

That's not true at all! I can do whatever I dream of, no matter whether I'm normal or not!

 _ **'You don't get it do you? Your nothing without me. Nothing but a lonely human, destined to fail.'**_

 _'Oh, like hell I am!'_

I went to grab the mask, but my arms suddenly got a whole lot harder to move. Regardless, I managed to move them the few inches I need, just to get a hold of the mask. When I did, I pulled as hard as I could. The feeling of it separating, taking with it the power it granted, was _excruciating_. It matched no pain I had ever felt before. It was as though my very skin was being pulled away, string by string, until it finally stopped. After gaining the power to open my eyes again, I found the mask to be in my hands. My bare hands...

Holy crap, I'm naked.

* * *

 **There ya go folks. He's naked. That is all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again. Just a heads up, the cover picture is basically what this mystery man looks like. Or, looked like. We left off with him being naked in an alleyway. What a cliffhanger. I assure you, he probably wont be doing that again anytime soon. Now that were past that, I don't own RWBY, only my characters and ideas, lets get to the good part.**

* * *

"Ooooooooaaaaaahhhhuuuuuuu." Was the first sound I made when I woke up.

My head was _killing_ me. I was in a bed. I don't even remember passing out. Too much shit to deal with in the morning, I tell ya. What's more, I could swear I heard a gasp or something, which made sense, since I was possibly in some strangers house. Hell, I might have broken in, found a bed, and said 'fuck it, I'm tired anyway'. Or, a stranger decided to abduct me and treat me like a child, or slave, or whatever kink they got going on. These are all real possibilities here people. I'm hoping for the former.

"Oh my! Your awake! Hold on, I'll be right back!" Said a _wondrous_ female voice, her words a soothing melody compared to the migraine I was suffering from.

"Noooo" I pleaded in a soft whisper "Come back ladyyyyy. I neeeed you."

Fortunately, my prayers were answered as I could hear her come back up. When she drew near me, placing down something next to me on a nightstand presumably, she pulled up a chair and sat down. Now, since my head was hurting somethin' real fierce, I had yet to open my eyes. The light, combined with the strength needed to simply lift the dam things, would put too much effort into something that would inevitably make my head even worse.

"Sorry about that, I hadn't expected you to wake up all of a sudden so I went downstairs and got you some water."

"Thank you." I whispered, the ability to talk normally crawling back at a sloths pace.

"Your quiet welcome. I must say, you gave me quite a scare when I found in front of my Inn."

"Wait a minute... what chu talkin' about?" I asked, my eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.

"You were lying on my door step, bleeding all over. You were also... well, you were naked. Don't worry though, when I dressed you I didn't peek, I swear!" Her voice rose in pitch when she mentioned my nudity. Heh. Still got it.

"I bet you didn't."

"I swear to you, I didn't look." She repeated, flustered by my shenanigans.

"It's okay, I forgive ya. But uh, I'm not naked now right?"

"No, after I tended to your wounds I put the essentials on. Unfortunately, I could only wrap your more intimate areas, since I feared attempting to put more on would lead to your wounds acting up."

 _'How thoughtful.'_

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know where I am right now would ya?"

"Oh, your in my Inn, 'The Knights Maid'. My father was the one who named it, but now my siblings and I run the place. We don't get as much attention as we used to, but were still in business."

"Ah. Alright then." I say as I try to sit up, only for a sharp pain in my _everywhere_ to stop me, making me hiss. I feel soft hands grip my shoulders, coercing me down.

"Please don't try to move to much, you were badly injured when I found you."

As I lay back on the bed, I attempt to open my eyes. Thankfully, my caretaker had taken the time to dim the lights so I only had to blink away the fog that rested in my retinas. Once I got to looking around, I found the room I was in to be entirely made of wood, like I was in a cabin or something. The walls were bare, save for some stray candles that lined the walls, but it gave of that 'homey' vibe. Real comfortable place to sleep, all things considered. The bed was very soft as well, multiple layers of blankets covering me made me feel all warm and fuzzy. On the nightstand was a glass of water, along with... the mask. I had to force my head away, for that was definitely _not_ something I felt like dealing with at the moment. When I turned my head away though, I came face to face with my savior. She was...

"Gorgeous."

"Oh, uh, t-thank you."

I didn't even realize my mistake, too enraptured by her beauty. She had short auburn hair, falling just past where her ears would be if they weren't covered by it, along with pale-ish skin that held a face that looked so dam innocent, a child would have lose to it. Completing the head was her light green eyes, staring at me while a blush covered her cheeks. She wore a simple outfit, a long yellow dress that went to her knees, thinning around the waist area. I couldn't really see any farther than that because her legs were mostly out of view, being so close to the bed. There was one feature I came back to though, something I hadn't noticed my first go. Atop of her head stood two pointy, cat-like ears, the fur the same shade as her hair. I found myself staring for a bit too long as she gave a nervous cough, snapping me out of my stupor.

"Well, it's nice your awake and all, and I'd normally just let you rest, but I would like some explanation. If you can't right now that fine, I would just like one eventually in case it's something bad."

"Oh, uuhhhh, yeah, sure."

...

"Oh! Sorry, I kind of spaced out there." She gave me a kind smile, melting away that barrier around my heart. Goddamit lady, your seriously testing me here.

"It's all right. Like I said, you don't have to do it now, but I would like one some time soon." She placed a hand on mine, and I could feel my heart flutter. "I'm worried that whatever happened to you might happen again. I don't want that to happen to you, regardless of background."

"Was I that bad?"

"Look for yourself." She grabs my arm and slowly unwraps the dressings I had yet to notice littered my body. When she finally undid a small segment, she showed me my arm.

It was terrible. Slashes covered my arm, some small, some large, but all equally intense. They didn't seem fresh, but were still a ways away from healing. I gave my arm back to her and began to wrap the coverings up again. When she was done, she turned towards me with a frown, worry evident on her face.

"I didn't take you to a hospital because you were in such a bad shape. By the time you were stable, I couldn't see you moving without reopening your wounds so I kept you here."

I took a moment to sit up, ignoring her (and my body's) protests, and gave a look at my semi-bandaged hand. My fingers took some scars, but they weren't nearly as bad as my arm. It was... weird. Seeing what happened when I took off the mask. It felt like I was different than before. Like something wasn't the same. Like... I threw the blankets covering my legs to the side, revealing legs longer than the bed itself, and a pair of briefs around my waist.

"Unfortunately, your a bit taller than I expected, so the bed couldn't fit all of you. Sorry."

"Where's the restroom?" I asked, my tone devoid of emotion. She gave a slight jump in the change of attitude before responding.

"It's just down the hall. Here, let me help- wha-hey!" She let out a surprised gasp as I stood to my full height in an instant.

I trudged to the door, feeling the sting of my body's recovery fighting against me. I opened the door, continuing to walk into the hall. Inside was an assortment of different doors, so I just chose the one nearest. Fortune was on my side, as I picked the exact place I needed to go. When I arrived, I took a look at myself in the mirror, only to find a face covered in bandages. My patience worn thin, and I started to forcefully rip off all of the gauze and bandages until I found my face, covered in cuts, staring back at me. Except there was one thing wrong. Completely wrong.

This was not my face.

I did not have short spiked up black hair. I was not this tall, nearly hitting the doorframe. I continued to remove bandages covering my chest, revealing to me an unfamiliar body. I was not this skinny, or muscular, or pale. I did not have cheekbones so straight and solid it seemed like I was always grimacing. I looked at my hands. I did not have these rough and calloused hands. None of this was mine, not a single bit, and as I looked my self in the eyes, I found the final, unavoidable, inevitable change.

I did _not_ have blood red eyes, so sharp and focused they cut through the souls of any who stared into them for a second to long.

"This is not me." I could feel myself start to shake.

"W-what do you mean? Are you o-okay?"

 **WHAM**

"Oh my god! Why did you do that?!"

So it was real. The burning in my cheek told me so. He glared at me, for he knew it was wrong. The man in the mirror. I know. I can't do a dam thing about it, but I know. I am someone else. I am not me. I am not him. I am a new person. Again. I could feel my anger rising. First I turn into that... _thing._ Now, even as I escape it itself, its affects persist. I raised my arm, ready to send this false image into oblivion, when I noticed something that immediately brought me back to earth. I saw her in the reflection.

She was terrified.

She watched with a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. I blinked my own in response. What was I doing? Was I about to take out my anger on someone else, someone who was caring and brave enough to take me in when I was seriously injured? What would prove? Exactly how different I was? No, I was not about to force myself onto this woman because I couldn't handle my own problems. I turned to her, noticing her take a step back, and went to my knees. Even then she was only a head taller than I.

"I... I am so sorry. You didn't deserve to see that. No one like you deserves my anger. It shouldn't have happened, and whatever I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it. Even if it means leaving you alone for the rest of my days, I'll honor it." She had a look of confusion on her face, not that I blame her. I'm confused too.

"I- I think I'll be fine. Just, please, don't do that again. It was scary." She removed her hand moved it to her back, where she was no doubt wringing her hands, wondering what to do with me.

"Thank you. I swear, I'll make it up to you somehow." I said, still on my knees. She gave me a light, delicate smile.

"Well, you could start by standing up." As soon as I did, I hit my head on the doorframe.

"Ow."

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?!" She rushed over to my side, pulling my shoulder down to get a good look at my head.

"I think I'll last." She had me basically squatting now as she turned my head this way and that. At last, she gave a sigh and returned my head.

"Well, I don't see ant bleeding so that's good. However!" She pointed a finger at my chest, and only now did I notice she had a tail swinging around behind her.

"You mister, need to get back into bed so I can redo those bandages." I looked down nd sure enough, all that was left was tattered remains.

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine, so long as you cooperate. Now come one, you need to lie down and I need to find some more medical supplies."

She led me back into the room, where I sat on the edge of the bed. When she left to get supplies, I sighed deeply and thought about just what I had found. I was a new man. My actions though, were nothing short of childish. If I couldn't control my anger in moments like that, I could seriously mess things up for me here. Not to mention, I have to get used to being nearly two feet taller than I used to be. There was so many things I needed to do, so many things I needed to learn. But for right now, all I could do was wait. I gave another long sigh. This was gonna be tough.

Once I was done with my inner monologue, I heard the medical lady come back up the stairs. Perhaps I should start my list with asking her name. She rounded the corner into the room holding a large red box with a white 'x' on it. Or it was a plus sign, I don't know. Either way, she opened it up and produced various amounts of medical supplies which were going to be used on me. Great.

"Hey, are you a nurse?" I asked, my voice change very prominent. It sounded deeper than before, but not by a huge margin. Her ears perked up at the question, causing me to smile, which in turn made her blush.

"Well, I used to be a doctor actually. But, things changed and now I'm here, running the Inn." She seemed a bit sad about it, so I changed the subject.

"Hmm. Well, here's another one for you. What's your name?" This one caused her to stop unpacking the box and look up at me.

"Selena. It's Selena Rosewood. What's yours?" That made me think. What _is_ my name? Before I could actually think of one, I blurted out the first I could think of.

"Victor. I don't remember my last name." She tilted her head at the odd response.

"You don't remember?"

"No. I can't remember anything really. All I can remember is waking up here." Okay, it wasn't a total truth, but I was completely lying either. I really didn't remember much. She gave me a sad smile.

"Well then I guess I'll have to help you remember." I smiled back at her. I may not have been the best she could ask for, but she decided to let me stay, so I was going to make sure she made the right choice.

"Thank you. For everything."

"Your welcome."

After that we sat in a comfortable silence as she began tending to my wounds, for the second time. I will make this work. I'll work for it. I won't let this just slip by.

I was going to do everything in my power to make a mark on the world, in the best way I could. My own way.

* * *

 **That settles that. Any questions, things like that, feel free to ask. Or don't, I really don't care. I mean I do, but I'm gonna continue this whether you review or Pm me or not. So yeah. Bye bye.**


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